“Do not be guided and influenced by public opinion. March boldly and cheerfully in the path of Truth, consulting your conscience and hearing the inner, small, sweet voice of the soul.” Swami Sivananda

At this month’s New Moon, the Sagittarian spirit of adventure sparks the taboo-busting, pioneering, unpredictable Uranus in Aries, and struggles to stay anchored amidst the deceptive glamour and misdirection of Neptune in Pisces and the stern demands of Saturn in Scorpio. I’ll go into how this is all likely to play out on the national stage here in the US later, but first let’s look at what work we can do as individuals with the upcoming planetary weather.

The Magic Behind the Magic

This month, we are being asked to look at the beliefs that structure our lives, consider how we are putting them into practice, and how they may be tripping us up. We have a great opportunity to dig deeply into our own thought processes and unearth negative beliefs and patterns of thinking as the Moon waxes and wanes again. That opportunity could be life-changing, because our beliefs are a big factor in the formation of our individual energetic signature, and this energetic signature signs every bit of magic we do — it’s the magic behind the magic. The problems our beliefs can pose for us have to do with the fact that, unconsciously, we are carrying around a lot of old beliefs that are in conflict with the more conscious beliefs we hold. Make a point of trying to become more conscious of the beliefs you carry around with you over the next month. Keep a journal handy and write down what you discover so you can become more aware of the patterns that are influencing your magic.

Feeling Into Truth

You can let your feelings and emotions lead you to these beliefs. Question your reaction to events — are you over-reacting to a situation? This is usually a big clue. Here’s an example: I spent some time raking and pruning in the back yard this weekend, and, since I wasn’t quite done, I left my loppers and rake on the back deck. The next morning, as I’m looking out the window at the tools on the back deck in the pouring rain, I reacted with a clenching in my stomach, a thought of “oh, crap!”, and a constriction in my heart area. My first thought was to run out there and get them. Fortunately, my cat-like love of warmth and comfort made me re-think that impetuous decision, and I stopped to consider it more carefully. (I’m an Aries, but with Taurus rising)

Yes, I was over-reacting. When I took a deep breath, stepped back, and looked at my feelings, what finally came up were images of how my father would have disapproved, and my fear/resentment of/anger at his disapproval. Underneath that, I realized I also agreed with him — tools should be well cared-for. But leaving them out in the rain is not something I need to feel shame over, nor is it going to get worse if I wait until I am dressed and caffeinated before going out in the rain. I let go of the shame, let go of my father’s disapproval and my reaction to it. I called my own power back to me in this situation, and separated my personal beliefs (tools should be cared for) from the beliefs that were imprinted on me as a child (you’re bad if you don’t care for your tools — which was my interpretation of my father’s disapproval.).

Where are you giving your personal power away? What beliefs do you carry that are not your own? What hidden fears still drive you? Those beliefs and fears muddy your magic and mess with your life. With focus and awareness, you can let your feelings lead you to the truth that is your own.

Speaking Truth

There is another aspect of truth that would be worth considering during this time, which is how and when we are willing to speak our truth. Finding the courage to speak up is not always easy, but fear of confrontation can do considerable damage to relationships. Two women I admire, Macha NightMare and Anastacia Brice, wrote blog posts this week that — synchronistically — address just this issue. I recommend reading Macha’s post on scapegoating, and Anastacia’s post on not pretending.

A Spirit of Adventure

Nationally here in the USA, there will be a lot of “can-do” optimism and a spirit of adventure in the air, but it is likely to be marred by epic displays of ego and repressive authority, particularly in the areas of religion, law and foreign policy. We’ll also be hearing a lot from people who make an art out of being offended — and it can be useful to watch and discern where power is flowing in these situations. (I have written more about taking offense here). Ditto for people who make an art out of having fun — or who want to be perceived as having fun. Again, watch closely. Who is genuinely having fun, who is just trying to massage their ego or have fun at someone else’s expense?

And speaking of art, we may see some transcendently spiritual or deliciously scandalous creations in the world of art, music and ideas. (If you see or hear of any cool art this month, post a comment here about it, or on my Facebook page Inquiring minds need to know!) On a personal level, if you are feeling creative, don’t hold back! Bring your creations into the world and share them.

Jupiter completely rules this chart and has some very challenging interactions with other planets. Jupiter can blow things way out of proportion. Watch how many people you see over-reaching, over-extending, over-reacting this month. (Try not to be one of them, OK?) Some of the positive aspects of Jupiter are being able to see the big picture, tolerance of other opinions, and a love of knowledge in search of truth. Keep in mind in your interactions with other people that they are looking for truth and dealing with conflicting beliefs, too. Can you, perhaps, help others stay grounded and sort out their conflicting beliefs this month? Sure. As long as you also do that work yourself, of course…

This is a volatile month. There will be much pontificating from various soapboxes, some virtual, some very real. The atmosphere is explosive, and patience may be in short supply. The New Moon is in a difficult aspect with Neptune, and there is a tremendous energy of deception and illusion in the air — don’t fall prey to it. The only way to handle a Neptune aspect is to take things up a notch, spiritually, in the areas ruled by the planets and signs involved. Here in the USA, the areas in question include things hidden, prisons, hospitals, places of spiritual retreat, the ocean, transportation and communication networks, the home and land, agriculture and real estate, and the ideals, values, laws and religious structures of our societies. Keep your own actions and speech above-board, but don’t expect it of others — and check to make sure you are being honest with yourself, as well. Look at where the late degrees of Scorpio and early degrees of Sagittarius fall in your chart — this is the house (or houses) where you are likely to be seeing a lot of action this month.

Taking it Personally

Having at least a basic understanding your own chart can be extremely helpful in unraveling both psychological and karmic knots, in spiritual development, and in planning your life. If you If you want to know more about your own cosmic blueprint, and how current transits are affecting you personally, contact me to schedule a consultation. But you may feel drawn to learning more about astrology yourself, and if so, you’ll want to take the 10-week online course I'm developing called "Chart and Soul". It will give you the information you need to use your own chart as a guide to your life and to better understand your friends and family. I'll be offering it right around the Spring Equinox. To stay in the loop about this, go sign up for my mailing list here.

If you are already a student of astrology, here’s what you’ll want to note about this New Moon chart (the rest of you can go now :-) ). Find the chart here. You’ll see that Neptune in Pisces squares the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Venus and Ceres in Sagittarius, all clustered around the Ascendant. In mundane astrology, the Ascendant stands for the people of a nation. Of course now we need to look at Jupiter, which rules Sagittarius and co-rules Pisces. We find it in yet another Fire sign, Leo, in mutual reception with the Sun and dispositing 5 planets. It’s in a house that it rules, and it also rules the Ascendant and co-rules the house that holds the Sun and Moon. It’s square Saturn and Mercury in Scorpio, also in the 12th. So, as I mentioned above, Jupiter rules this chart. Venus rising will emphasize issues of money, debt, art, and probably women’s rights as well. Note that Uranus is also in a Fire sign, in a wide trine with Jupiter, and also tightly square Pluto. That aspect is within one degree of exact now. Mars, powerful in Capricorn, gains more oomph through dispositing Uranus, Saturn and Mercury. It is inconjunct Jupiter, semi-square Neptune, and trine the MC.

Like many astrologers, I took a look at Robin Williams’ chart last night, because I found myself wondering what sort of a man he was underneath the tremendous talent, what pressures he was currently under, and also to consider — again — the personal and cultural realities that can drive people to take their own lives. (If you want to follow along, the chart is here.)

The first thing that jumps out from his chart is the preponderance of planets at the top of the chart, a southern hemisphere emphasis (yes, when you are looking at a chart, the southern hemisphere of the chart is on top. Just put yourself in the center of the chart, as if you were going to cast a circle. Face East, toward the Ascendant. Now face South. Yep, there you are.) A large number of planets in this area of the chart generally indicates someone whose life is inextricably entwined with the collective, often to the point where their personal will is subsumed in the needs and desires of others. This is, of course, often the case with celebrities, especially those who, like Williams, tend to be deeply emotional and empathetic. And that’s the second thing that jumps out at us about this chart.